Although the sport of Airsoft is not new, it has seen a tremendous increase in popularity over the past five or more years due to technological developments. Airsoft guns are now carried by major retail chains. One of the greatest lures to Airsoft is the realism of the weapons. Other than a three-quarter inch orange muzzle mandated by law on the tip of Airsoft weapons, Airsoft weapons look and feel very much like their live ammunition, genuine counterparts. Indeed, Airsoft gun velocity ranges from lower end plastic Airsoft pistols shooting rounds at approximately 150 fps all the way up to high-powered all metal Airsoft rifles shooting rounds at 600 fps. With technological advances, it may be that even higher round velocities will be reached in the future. Airsoft firearms also are able to fire projectiles at high rates of repetition, for example, approximately 1200 rounds per minute (RPM), by equipping Airsoft firearms with magazines that store and automatically load ammunition into the barrel of the firearm.
Proper handling, training, and transport are important where Airsoft safety is concerned and diligent promotion of safety habits is crucial to the future welfare of the Airsoft sport. Training involves not just target practice, but proper handling of the firearm. For example, given the high RPM that can be achieved by Airsoft firearms, it is important that the user be well trained in properly loading, ejecting, and reloading magazines into the firearm. As with real guns, when the magazine of an Airsoft weapon is depleted, it is not unusual for the user to allow the spent magazine to fall—e.g., about 5 feet from chest level of a person in a standing position—to the ground. Magazine change drills in particular involve quick magazine changes in which the spent magazine is allowed to fall to the ground to save time as the firearm operator frees his or her hands to reload a new magazine into the Airsoft firearm. Other times, a magazine may be accidentally dropped, such as in the case of a less experienced shooter who fails to properly load and lock the magazine into the firearm.
Despite the realism of Airsoft equipment, many Airsoft weapon magazines lack the durability of and are much more fragile than their genuine firearm components. Airsoft magazines may contain springs, gas seals, and/or plastic components that are prone to damage when the magazine is ejected from the Airsoft firearm and allowed to fall to the ground. For example, if a gas magazine falls about five feet, such as from chest firing level to the ground, a gas seal may be broken, resulting in a gas leak, or the magazine may be otherwise damaged severely enough to prevent its reuse. Many Airsoft shooters lack the know-how and/or tools to fix such damage, and as a result must replace the magazines, which can be expensive.
Another problem associated with Airsoft weapon magazine usage, particular those magazines used with Air Electric Guns (AEGs), is ammunition spillage accompanying magazine ejections. The majority of Airsoft weapons are AEGs. AEGs include rifles, carbines, machine guns (MGs), submachine guns (SMGs), and personal defense weapons (PDWs), among other firearms, powered by a battery or other source of electricity. The standard design incorporates a hop-up unit that acts as a feeding mechanism for loading the projectiles (e.g., typically BBs) from the magazine and into the barrel of the AEG. The hop-up housing is configured to leave a small gap or dead space of about 12-18 mm between the feed lip of the magazine and the AEG barrel. BBs are typically about 6 mm in diameter. Hence, at any time about 2 to 3 BBs are typically being passed through this dead space, where the BBs are neither in the magazine nor loaded in the firearm. Even when the magazine is depleted of BBs, the last few BBs discharged from the magazine will not be fed to the firearm, but will remain in this dead space. Consequently, removal of the magazine causes BBs in the dead space to fall freely and spill to the ground. BBs left unattended on the ground can create a potential safety hazard and an unsightly mess.